Mukhtar Ansari news LIVE: Autopsy reveals heart attack as cause of death

A magisterial inquiry was ordered Friday as opposition parties raised questions over the death of gangster-politician Mukhtar Ansari, amid allegations by his family that he died due to “slow poisoning” in Banda jail.

A panel of doctors conducted a post-mortem at Rani Durgavati Medical College in Banda, amid a security alert across several districts in Uttar Pradesh.

A long convoy of vehicles left the city in the evening with Ansari’s body for his home district Ghazipur. It included 24 police vehicles, two others carrying family members and the ambulance with the body of the five-time MLA from Mau Sadar.

Alka Rai, the wife of slain BJP leader Krishnanand Rai who was killed at the behest of Ansari, on Friday told reporters outside the Kashi Vishwanath temple here that she got justice because of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“I had full faith in Baba Vishwanath, and we got justice because of Yogi ji and Modi ji,” she said. When asked about Mukhtar Ansari’s death being termed as a “conspiracy” by the opposition, she said it is wrong.

Alka Rai also said that a number of families had lost their children due to Ansari.

Alka’s son Piyush Rai said that the opposition is saying this because it needs an issue to express itself.

On the demise of gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari, his elder bother Sibgatullah Ansari said to ANI, “We received the body after some delay so the last rites cannot be performed tonight. It will be done tomorrow morning…I request everybody to pray for him.”

Chief judicial magistrate (Banda) Bhagwan Dass Gupta on Friday ordered a judicial inquiry into the death of gangster-turned-politician

Mukhtar Ansari, who died after suffering a cardiac arrest in a prison here on Thursday night. MP/MLA court judge Garima Singh was asked to submit the report to the CJM within a month.

The post-mortem examination of Ansari’s body was conducted by a panel of doctors at the Rani Durgawati Medical College. The report negated any suspected poisoning and cited heart attack as the cause of death, said officials.

The usually bustling medical college saw a dramatic decrease in the number of OPD patients amid deployment of heavy police force.

In the wake of the death of gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari, the entire Ghazipur district administration is on alert, said the district Superintendent of Police, Omvir Singh.

Jailed Ansari died in a hospital in Banda, Uttar Pradesh, on Thursday.

“Since this news flashed last night, the entire district administration is on alert. We are in touch with the family and they have said that the last rites will be done after morning prayers,” Omvir Singh told reporters here.

The police officer warned that if anyone violated the Model Code of Conduct, which is in place for the upcoming general election, action would be taken against them.

Jailed gangster-turned-politician Muktar Ansari, who died after suffering cardiac arrest on Thursday, revealed everything “fearlessly” and “confidently” about his crime when he was arrested by a team of Delhi Police Crime Branch in connection with a highly sensational case in 1993.

The case pertained to ransom for kidnapping a businessman from Lutyens Delhi.

“He was around 30-years-old then, full of confidence and showing no fear of law. That was a highly sensational case in those days,” recalled Ashok Chand, a retired Delhi Police officer, who led the team and ensured the safe rescue of the businessman from Panchkula at the Punjab-Haryana border, 250 kilometers away from Delhi.

After the completion of postmortem, gangster-politician Mukhtar Ansari’s body on Friday left for his native place in Ghazipur amidst heavy security from here, police officials said.

The ambulance carrying the body was accompanied by police vehicles to ensure security along the 400-kilometre-long route via several districts of Uttar Pradesh.

As per police officials, Mukhtar Ansari’s son Umar Ansari and Abbas Ansari’s wife were present inside the ambulance carrying the body.

Here’s what Ghazipur SP Omvir Singh said on law and order after Mukhtar Ansari’s death.

“Since this news flashed last night, the entire district administration is on alert. We are in touch with the family and they have said that the last rites will be done after morning prayers… Crowd is expected as people will come to pay tribute and the arrangements are made for the same. But, I appeal to the people that the Model Code of Conduct is in effect for general elections and if it is violated by any means or statements made by anyone, action will be taken as per law…” he said to ANI

Union Minister Anurag Thakur took a dig at SP, BSP and Congress over their reactions on Mukhtar Ansari’s death saying, “..Those who protected such people to have political benefits can say whatever they want. Medical inquiry has been done, if they demand a judicial inquiry it will be done as well. Everyone has the right to know the truth but they should tell under which crime he was in jail for years? Who induced the fear, who exploited the public and who were they that protected him? SP, BSP and Congress should tell instead of doing politics on incidents like this…”

Mohd Irshad, a local supporter of Mukhtar Ansari expressed his sorrow over his demise. He said, “People are very sad. Many of them are waiting ever since the sad news of Mukhtar Bhai’s death reached here. He was messiah for the poor.”

A grave has been dug at the Ansari family’s burial ground in Kali Bagh for the last rites, Circle Officer (CO) Atar Singh and Pawan Kumar Upadhyaya, an inspector attached to the Mohammadabad police station, said.

Ansari (63) was lodged in the Banda jail and died of a cardiac arrest.

The family of the five-time MLA has alleged that Ansari was subjected to slow poisoning in the jail, a charge denied by the prison authorities.

Mukhtar Ansari’s mortal remains being brought to his native place Ghazipur. A large number of security personnel have been deployed in the area to maintain law and order.

People were seen waiting for the arrival of body of the five-time MLA, who was rushed to a hospital from the Banda jail on Thursday after his health condition deteriorated. Ansari died at the hospital during treatment.

A grave has been dug at the Ansari family’s burial ground in Kali Bagh for the last rites, Circle Officer (CO) Atar Singh and Pawan Kumar Upadhyaya, an inspector attached to the Mohammadabad police station, said.

AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi reacted on Mujhtar Ansari’s death and said, “The state (Uttar Pradesh)is being run by the rule of the gun and not by the rule of law. Mukhtar Ansari was in judicial custody when his family filed a case in the Supreme Court stating that there was an apprehension by the family that he would be killed inside the prison. Now, he dies and the family say that slow poison was given to him. The surprising thing is that he was not taken to the specialised hospital but to a hospital where there was no proper medical attention given to him and within a short span of time he was sent back to prison. I hope the Uttar Pradesh govt will have an impartial inquiry in the interest of Justice and in the interest of the rule of law. The whole world should know what has happened.”

Mukhtar Ansari’s mortal remains placed in the hearse. Mukhtar Ansari’s younger son Umar, his other son Abbass’s wife Nighat, two nephews Ibrahim, Usman, and a handful of people from Ghazipur are in the post mortem house.

Shops remained closed on Friday in Mohammadabad Yusufpur township in Ghazipur district of Uttar Pradesh, the native place of gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari who died of a cardiac arrest a day before.

Ansari’s body will be brought to his native place for the last rites during the day. A large number of security personnel have been deployed in the area to maintain law and order.

People were seen waiting for the arrival of body of the five-time MLA, who was rushed to a hospital from the Banda jail on Thursday after his health condition deteriorated. Ansari died at the hospital during treatment.

A grave has been dug at the Ansari family’s burial ground in Kali Bagh for the last rites, Circle Officer (CO) Atar Singh and Pawan Kumar Upadhyaya, an inspector attached to the Mohammadabad police station, said.

Late British writer and historian Patrick French in his book ‘India: A Portrait’ had described meeting gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari, who died of a cardiac arrest on Thursday evening, in vivid details ahead of the 2009 general elections. The late historian introduced him as “one of the most popular godfathers in Uttar Pradesh.” Read more

At least four of gangster-politician Mukhtar Ansari’s close aides were killed in custody since 2018, making him fear for his own life.

The five-time Mau MLA’s son Umar Ansari had even filed a writ petition in the Supreme Court apprehending the “assassination” of his father in jail.

The 63-year-old Mukhtar Ansari was brought to the Rani Durgavati Medical College in Banda from the district jail in “an unconscious state” on Thursday evening and died at the hospital following a cardiac arrest.

The noose around Mukhtar Ansari, who had over 60 cases lodged against him, began tightening after the BJP government came to power in Uttar Pradesh in 2017.

Mukhtar Ansari’s mortal remains are about to be taken to Ghazipur. Vehicles of family persons went inside the post mortem house where a hearse is already stationed. Mukhtar Ansari’s body will be handed over to his son, Umar Ansari, following the post-mortem. Mukhtar Ansari died in a hospital in Banda, Uttar Pradesh, on Thursday.

Umar Ansari told ANI that he has written a letter demanding that the postmortem should be done by doctors at AIIMS, Delhi.

BJP leader Sidharth Nath Singh reacted on Mukhtar Ansari’s death saying, “Mukhtar Ansari is a criminal; his post-mortem is underway and reports are yet to be out despite that, in a way, political party, especially leaders of SP, Congress and BSP, are jumping now, shows how much pain they have for a criminal. Serious allegations have been made against Mukhtar Ansari and even the court sentenced him to life imprisonment but still their pain towards him indicates how they (SP, Congress and BSP) backed the protection of ‘mafia raj’.”

A three-member team will conduct a magisterial investigation into the death of gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari.

The Chief Judicial Magistrate Banda issued orders concerning the judicial probe. Officials said a panel of two doctors will do the post-mortem, which will be videographed.

Mukhtar Ansari’s body will be handed over to his son, Umar Ansari, following the post-mortem. Mukhtar Ansari died in a hospital in Banda, Uttar Pradesh, on Thursday.

Umar Ansari told ANI that he has written a letter demanding that the postmortem should be done by doctors at AIIMS, Delhi.

Jailed gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari died on Thursday night at a hospital in Uttar Pradesh’s Banda. The gangster’s family has accused the authorities of administering “slow poison” to him. Mukhtar Ansari’s son Umar Ansari claimed his father had told him that he was being given “slow poison”. “My father had told us he was being subjected to ‘slow poison’. Mukhtar Ansari had informed the court through his lawyers in writing that these things are happening,” he claimed.

Congress leader from Uttar Pradesh Pankhuri Pathak on Friday called for a judicial probe into every death in police custody, saying the state government and the police administration “becoming so uncontrolled” is “extremely worrying and dangerous”.

Pathak, the chairperson of the Congress’s social media wing, also claimed that Uttar Pradesh occupies the top spot in the country in terms of custodial killings.

Her remarks came after jailed gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari’s death at a hospital in Banda district of the state on Thursday.

Ansari (63) was lodged in the Banda jail and died of a cardiac arrest.

On the death of Mukhtar Ansari after cardiac arrest, former UP DGP Vikram Singh said to ANI, “…This is a serious matter. An inquiry will take place, and a report will be accorded to the court…Earlier also, Senior advocates made the court aware of the health of Mukhtar Ansari and that he needed medical support…After that, he was provided with all proper medical treatment. It’s unfortunate as despite that he died due to cardiac arrest…”

Chief Judicial Magistrate’s court in Banda asks additional CJM to conduct probe into Mukhtar Ansari’s death, submit report in a month, news agency PTI reported.

Ansari (63) was lodged in the Banda jail and died of a cardiac arrest.

The family of the five-time MLA has alleged that Ansari was subjected to slow poisoning in the jail, a charge denied by the prison authorities.

Mukhtar Ansari’s son Umar Ansari said to ANI, “It (postmortem) is their procedure. I have written a letter that it should be done by doctors of AIIMS Delhi. We don’t trust the medical system, government and administration here…You know why I am saying this…Panchnama is done. DM has to make a decision. Let’s see what he decides. The postmortem has not begun…We hope that the court will help investigate the suspicions that we are expressing. We will consult our legal team. We are confident that this is not a natural death but an orchestrated murder.”

Mukhtar Ansari’s son, Umar Ansari, claims that the autopsy of his father’s body is yet to start. “Postmortem is yet to begin…I have written a letter, everything is clearly written in it,” he tells ANI.

Mukhtar Ansari’s son, Umar Ansari, has submitted an application to DM Banda requesting an autopsy of his father at AIIMS, Delhi

Principal of the Banda Medical College Hospital Suneel Kaushal says that the postmortem of Mukhtar Ansari is underway at the hospital and the entire process is being videographer, reports PTI.

A panel of doctors is performing the postmortem and the viscera will be preserved, Kaushal said, adding the chief medical officer is present at the spot, according to the news agency.

On Mukhtar Ansari’s death, BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi tells ANI: “… Ghazipur, Mau, Jaunpur, Azamgarh, and Balia were known as the epicentre of the comrades. How did these regions become the hotspot of criminals?… We all need to beware. Because their tactics of communal polarisation have been nullified by PM Narendra Modi’s efforts of inclusive empowerment…”

Mukhtar Ansari faced 63 criminal cases, including 14 of murder. He was convicted and sentenced in eight cases since September 2022. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lawmaker Krishnanand Rai’s murder was among the high-profile cases he faced.

Ghazipur SP Omvir Singh says that ever since the news of Mukhtar Ansari’s death broke out, the police and administration have been on alert.

“There is adequate police deployment across the district…MCC is in place and there is no crowd anywhere. People are coming here (residence of Ansari) to express their condolences,” he tells ANI.

Mukhtar Ansari’s family has accused the authorities of administering slow poison to him. The district authorities have denied the charges and said he died of cardiac arrest.

Mukhtar Ansari’s son Umar Ansari claimed his father had told him that he was being given “slow poison”.

“My father had told us he was being subjected to ‘slow poison’. Mukhtar Ansari had informed the court through his lawyers in writing that these things are happening,” he claimed. More details here.

A large force of police personnel has been deployed in Ghazipur where the funeral of Mukhtar Ansari will take place later today.

Mukhtar Ansari’s body will be handed over to the family for transportation post-Friday prayers in Banda. A cavalcade of 26 vehicles, including the ones of family members, will head towards Ghazipur then.

Preparations for Ansari’s funeral are underway at the Kali Bagh Graveyard in Ghazipur.

Mukhtar Ansari’s elder brother, Sibgatullah Ansari, claims that the family have not been provided any information about the post-mortem.

“There is no information so far as to when the post-mortem of Mukhtar’s body will be done and when the body will be given to the kin,” he alleges.

A day after the death of Mukhtar Anasri, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav targeted the UP government saying that it “cannot protect life and has no right to remain in power”.

In a series of posts on X, the former chief minister wrote: “It is the first responsibility and duty of the government to protect someone’s life in every situation and at every place. The death of a hostage or prisoner in any of the following circumstances will erode public confidence in the judicial process.”

“All such doubtful cases should be investigated under the supervision of a Supreme Court judge. The way the government bypasses the judicial process and adopts other methods is completely illegal,” he added.

Shailendra Singh, a former deputy superintendent of police who had invoked the Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA) against gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari in January 2004, on Friday recalled how he was made to resign within 15 days allegedly by the then Mulayam Singh Yadav government.

He told news agency ANI that it was he who had first recovered a light machine gun from the gangster-turned-politician’s possession. Read more.

A panel of five doctors has been finalised to conduct the autopsy of Gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari.

Alka Rai, wife of Krishnanand Rai, the former BJP MLA who was killed by Mukhtar Ansari says that justice has been served.

“What can I say? This is the blessing of the Almighty. I used to pray to him for justice and the justice has been served today. We never celebrated Holi after the incident (the murder), I felt that today is Holi for us,” she tells ANI.

Mukhtar Ansari dominated the politics of Mau and Ghazipur districts in eastern Uttar Pradesh for decades, winning assembly elections with big margins. And it remains to be seen what impact his death will have on the politics of the region in the 2024 Lok Sabha election in which his brother Afzal Ansari is the Samajwadi Party candidate from Ghazipur.

Despite being in jail for the last 18 years, many parties vied for Mukhtar Ansari’s electoral support due to his influence on the Muslim community in the region. Read on.

Preparations are underway for the funeral of gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari at the Kali Bagh Graveyard in Ghazipur. See here.

Former DSP Shailendra Singh tells ANI that gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari’s empire was at its peak some 20 years ago in 2004.

“He would move around in open jeeps in areas where curfew was imposed. That time I recovered a Light Machine Gun, no recovery was made before or after that. I even imposed POTA on him… But the Mulayam Government wanted to save him at any cost. He pressurised officials, IG-Range, DIG, and SP-STF were transferred, even I was made to resign within 15 days,” he says.

On the death of gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari, SP Mau issued an appeal to the public to maintain peace.

“…Section 144 CrPC is already in place. Appeal is being made to everyone to maintain peace and not take note of any rumours that are being spread through social media. he tells ANI.

He adds: Since Jumma Namaz will be offered today, an adequate Police force is being deployed at all sensitive areas across the district…The situation is peaceful, there is no problem…”

A senior police official said that Mukhtar Ansari feared a threat to his life as four of his close associates were killed while in judicial custody since 2018. Two shootouts took place inside UP jails while one happened inside the courtroom.

Lodged in different jails in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab since 2005, Mukhtar Ansari was shifted back to the Banda prison in April 2021. Read more.

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati has termed the allegations of “slow-poisoning” by Mukhtar Ansari’s family as serious.

“The persistent apprehensions and serious allegations made by Mukhtar Ansari’s family regarding his death in jail require a high-level investigation so that the true facts of his death can be revealed,” she wrote on X. “In such a situation, it is natural for his family to be sad. May nature give them the strength to bear this sorrow.”

Mukhtar Ansari’s family lawyer Chandrajeet Yadav, who was given access to the mortuary where the politician’s body is kept, said that formalities are being completed for the examination. “The panel of five doctors is being finalised,” he adds.

Gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari’s lawyer Chandrajeet Yadav tells ANI: “Documentation process is going on. A panel of doctors is being formed and the postmortem will start soon. Some documents had to be signed for which we have come here. We will give updates as soon as we receive any…”

Parole orders are being awaited for Mukhtar Ansari’s son, Abbas Ansari, who is lodged at the Kasganj district Jail, to attend the gangster-turned-politician’s funeral in Ghazipur.

Rashtriya Janata Party (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav on Thursday raised concerns over the events leading to gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari’s death and called on the constitutional institutions to take suo motu cognizance of “such strange cases”.

“Sad news was received about the demise of former UP MLA Shri Mukhtar Ansari. We pray to God to grant peace to the departed soul and strength to the bereaved family to bear the loss,” former Bihar deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav said in Hindi on X.

Extending condolences to Mukhtar Ansari’s family, AIMIM chief Owaisi said, “The people of Ghazipur lost their favourite son and brother.” Read more.